Geode Capital Management LLC Has $106.88 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 517,514 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,204 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 1.42% of AutoNation worth $106,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in AutoNation by 355.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in AutoNation by 126.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AN. UBS Group assumed coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Stephens increased their target price on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.90.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $188.14 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $202.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $176.62 and a 12 month high of $228.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The business’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.